* Export Gedcom File/FTM 2014

[Greyflyer]

Hi Mike

I'm using V2.2, FH6 & Windows 10 and trying to export to FTM 2014. The problem is I get an error. (See attached .jpg file). The plug in works fine with other exports I've tried.

Thanks in advance for your help

Ron

[tatewise]

Hi Ron, sorry about that.

I suspect its cause is the same as what similarly affected a user on the [FHU] Email list recently, namely UDF, and I plan to make the Plugin more tolerant of UDF in its next version.

However, the Plugin Help & Advice does say:

To avoid potential problems, it is advisable, before running the Plugin, to use Tools > External File Links to detect missing files, and Tools > Find Uncategorised Data to detect UDF.

In the meantime, assuming the UDF are rogue imported data that can be corrected/deleted, then please follow the advice in how_to:handling_unrecognised_data_fields|> Handling Unrecognised Data Fields and let me know if that resolves the problem.

Whether the Plugin has a problem or not depends on exactly where the UDF are located, and if in a position that does not need converting for the target program then the Plugin will not notice them. However, the target program (ANC, TNG, etc) may baulk at the UDF since they are not standard GEDCOM. FTM (and ANC) need a LOT more conversion than many other programs, which probably explains why there has not been a problem before.

BTW: Please use the User Control Panel > Profile to update your FH Version as shown to the right.

[tatewise]

I have produced an updated Plugin as ATTACHMENT v2.2.1 Dated 30 Oct 2015 that should cope with UDF.
If you still have UDF in your data, then please give it a test run.

Just click on the ATTACHMENT link to install into FH and replace current Plugin.
You can always return to V2.2 from the Plugin Store if necessary.

[ ATTACHMENT DELETED as now in Plugin Store at V2.3 ]

[Greyflyer]

Hi Mike

Thanks for your prompt help.

The story so far...

I fixed the external links and encountered the same problem.
Looked at the UDF's and found 36 issues, mainly around source notes (_FOOT)
Ran the 2.2 version and FH came to a screaming halt at 42%.
Fixed all the UDF's
Now plug in always stops at same place when processing FAM210.
Unlinked and relinked family. There is no longer family 210. Now stops at FAM209.

Off to find out why!

Ron

[tatewise]

Hi Ron.
When it stops does the Plugin give any error message, or does it simply not progress any further?
How long do you wait?

Do you know how to find the Family Records within the GEDCOM file?
If so, then please extract and post here several records before and after FAM 209.
i.e. from line
0 @F208@ FAM
to line
0 @F212@ FAM

[Greyflyer]

HI Mike

There is no error message. I just get a windows dialogue box telling me that Family Historian has stopped working. Closing the box closes FH.

I hadn't realised that the FTM export copies across all the media files, but the Ancestry one doesn't. But I had plenty of room on the drive. Just in case I tried saving to another drive but got the same results.

Because of the total failure I don't get a results set from an FTM run. I've attached the FAM part of the results set from the Ancestry export run.

The Gedcom data you requested is below.

Cheers

Ron

0 @F208@ FAM
1 HUSB @I741@
1 WIFE @I742@
1 CHIL @I71@
1 CHAN
2 DATE 28 FEB 2010
3 TIME 07:01:58
0 @F209@ FAM
1 MARR
2 DATE 17 NOV 1753
2 PLAC Balfron, STI
2 SOUR @S256@
1 HUSB @I743@
1 WIFE @I744@
1 CHIL @I745@
1 CHIL @I70@
1 CHAN
2 DATE 28 MAR 2012
3 TIME 14:05:02
0 @F211@ FAM
1 MARR
2 DATE 12 NOV 1843
2 PLAC Kinnoull, PER
2 SOUR @S43@
2 SOUR @S590@
1 HUSB @I758@
1 WIFE @I759@
1 CHIL @I1151@
1 CHIL @I766@
1 CHIL @I767@
1 CHIL @I760@
1 CHIL @I761@
1 CHIL @I762@
1 CHIL @I763@
1 CHAN
2 DATE 13 OCT 2015
3 TIME 11:40:03
0 @F212@ FAM
1 MARR
2 DATE 12 AUG 1814
2 SOUR @S43@
2 SOUR @S337@
2 NOTE Margaret was a Twin
1 HUSB @I704@
1 WIFE @I764@
1 CHIL @I758@
1 CHIL @I1408@
1 CHAN
2 DATE 12 OCT 2015
3 TIME 15:11:43
0 @F213@ FAM
1 HUSB @I765@
1 CHIL @I704@
1 CHAN
2 DATE 12 MAR 2010
3 TIME 21:28:34
0 @F214@ FAM
1 MARR
2 DATE 23 AUG 1745
2 PLAC Fowlis Easter, PER
2 SOUR @S387@
1 HUSB @I771@
1 WIFE @I772@
1 CHIL @I789@
1 CHIL @I793@
1 CHIL @I790@
1 CHIL @I794@
1 CHIL @I795@
1 CHIL @I791@
1 CHIL @I114@
1 CHIL @I787@
1 CHIL @I1168@
1 CHIL @I788@
1 CHIL @I792@
1 CHAN
2 DATE 26 JAN 2014
3 TIME 16:56:06

[tatewise]

Thanks for the feedback Ron.
I suspect it is to do with the copying of Source record Media to the Citation itself as required by FTM.
So could you please paste here the following Source records from the GEDCOM file:

0 @S43@ SOUR
0 @S256@ SOUR
0 @S337@ SOUR
0 @S590@ SOUR

Also to help confirm my suspicions, please run the Plugin with the same options, except Choose the Multimedia conversion: (WIPE~ALL) Remove all Multimedia entirely and hopefully it should run OK.

[Greyflyer]

Hi Mike

Running with the changed "Multmedia Conversion" was good. The file completed.

Here are the source records you requested.

0 @S43@ SOUR
1 TITL IGI
1 CHAN
2 DATE 27 SEP 2015
3 TIME 19:45:15

0 @S265@ SOUR
1 TITL DC 1876 Margaret Meffen (Bruce/McInnes)
1 _TYPE Death Certificate
1 PUBL .516
1 REPO @R3@
1 CHAN
2 DATE 28 FEB 2010
3 TIME 14:37:13

0 @S337@ SOUR
1 TITL OPR 1814 Marriage Anderson/Thomson
1 _TYPE OPR Marriage
1 PUBL 1822 353.020
1 TEXT Saturday 6th August 1814
2 CONT David Anderson Parish Overseer of the Roads Son of the deceased Robert Anderson late Weaver Forgandenny in this said parish of Forgandenny and Margaret Thomason, a twin, oldest daughter of William Thomson of Bennygall in the parish or Orwell....
2 CONC .married at her fathers house on the 12th August.
1 REPO @R3@
1 OBJE @O128@
2 _ASID 1
1 CHAN
2 DATE 12 OCT 2015
3 TIME 14:42:52

0 @S590@ SOUR
1 TITL OPR 1843 Marriage Robert Anderson_Isabella Salmond
1 _TYPE OPR
1 REPO @R3@
1 OBJE @O401@
2 _ASID 1
1 CHAN
2 DATE 19 JAN 2014
3 TIME 15:20:23

[tatewise]

Hi Ron,
Thanks again for the details.

The success with (WIPE~ALL) mode confirms the problem is to do with Media adjustments for FTM, but I cannot deduce the cause from the snippets of GEDCOM supplied.
BUT, I have just spotted that I requested 0 @S256@ SOUR but you have posted 0 @S265@ SOUR so please post S256.

If that does not reveal anything, then the best way forward is if you can send me a copy of your GEDCOM file as an E-mail attachment, then I can debug the Plugin while it is converting that file. So I have E-mailed my address to you for you to reply with an attachment.
The alternative would be for me to talk you through some debug techniques, perhaps with a customised version of the Plugin.

[tatewise]

Thank you for sending your GEDCOM by Email, which has exported OK, but without any Media files of course.
So the GEDCOM is OK, and my attention turns to the Media files themselves, which include a great many TIFF (.tiff) format files, that sometimes cause problems with the export Media conversion library module.

Please try the following experimental settings with the Export Gedcom File Plugin, BUT use the Empty Export Folder button between each test run, otherwise once a run is successful the Media will not get converted again:
Use GEDCOM export mode: (Std) Standard GEDCOM 5.5 with its default (PART~LMO) Part Frames... mode.
Then try (FULL-ABS) Full Frames... mode.
Then try (ALL~ABS) All Frames... mode.
If any mode fails, then try ticking the Use JPEG file format for all the exported PART Frames option and run again.

For any mode that is successful, then please try that mode with the (FTM) Family Tree Maker 2014 GEDCOM export mode.

Let me know the results, as I am beginning to suspect that one Media image is causing the Media conversion library a problem.

[Greyflyer]

Hi Mike

Here are the results
(Std) Standard GEDCOM 5.5 with its default (PART~LMO) Part Frames... mode....Failed
Then tried (FULL-ABS) Full Frames... mode.....Passed
Then tried (ALL~ABS) All Frames... mode.....Failed

"If any mode fails, then try ticking the Use JPEG file format for all the exported PART Frames option and run again". I tried both the failed modes again as suggested, both failed again.

I then ran the passed (FULL-ABS) Full Frames... mode in FTM 2014 mode and it passed.

For the sake of completeness I then took a look at the fail issues.

All failures appeared to be while processing SOUR 589

If SOUR 589 refers to Source / Record ID / 589 this is a jpeg file.
I pulled it into my file viewer and it looks OK.
I resaved it changing the jpeg characteristics slightly.
Reran and failed.
I renamed the file and relinked it in FH. Failed
Renamed it as before and ran again. Failed.

I took a look through the Photo files folders and nothing unusual stands out. Apart from the fact that some of the TIF downloads from Scotland's People are a whole lot bigger than some of the others. 28209kb against and average of around 300kb.

But I digress, given that we have a usable solution do we stop here? I quite happy to do some more experimenting if you want.

Cheers for now

Ron

[tatewise]

Good analysis Ron.
The reason the (FULL~ABS) Full Frames... mode works is that the Plugin is not processing Face/Detail Frame Areas to crop out part frames.

SOURce Record Id 589 is linked to OBJEct Media Record Id 400 Titled MC 1877 William Anderson_Ann Jackson linked to file Media\MC Records\MC 1877 William Anderson_Ann Jackson.jpg which has Detail Frame _AREA {0,-60,1664,4120}.

To confirm that Media record/file is the only problem, please slightly rename the file to break its link to the Media record, and run the (PART~LMO) Part Frames... and (ALL~ABS) All Frames... modes again, which might succeed except for reporting that 'missing file'.

If that is the case, then restore the file name to mend the link, and focus on the Source record Media tab, to Edit the Details Frame to ensure all borders are within the image, as I think one or more are outside the image and probably causing the problem.

On the other hand, if the problem simply moves to another Media image Details Frame then you need to discover all Media images with Frame borders outside the image. So run the Show Project Statistics Plugin, and after using Update Statistics and Close & Report, examine the end of the Result Set for Unusual Multimedia Frame : Area : reports that identify Top/Bot/Left/Right parameters that are outside the Height/Width of image. Each of these will need correcting, so please ask for advice if needed.

[Greyflyer]

Morning Mike

The story so far this morning
Changed the file name and ran...
Standard GEDCOM 5.5 with its default (PART~LMO) Part Frames... mode....failed to find record and then crashed FH
Then tried (ALL~ABS) All Frames... mode.....failed to find record and then crashed FH
Renamed file again

Looked at framing. In the process of changing things around last night I had already remade the unlinked and remade the media file in the source. I checked and there wasn't a detail link. Ah ha! Maybe that's the issue. So I put one in.

Ran plug in again. This time it went through and stopped at SOUR 602
Checked 602 and no links (two files in this SOUR) so I added one to both files
Ran Plug in again and it failed at SOUR 589 again (used both Part~LMO and All~ABS)

Off to do the Project Stats stuff now

Ron

[Greyflyer]

Project Stats report

I had about 10 media files where the linked area was outside the picture. I revised these and reran the report. All I have now is...

"OPR MC 1811 moncrieff_simpson" "Unusual Multimedia Format : <nil> File type : tif"
"DC 1901 Robert Miller RCE" "Unusual Multimedia Format : <nil> File type : tif"
"Census 1861 James Stirton" "Unusual Multimedia Format : <nil> File type : tif"
"OPR MC 1820 Anderson_Christie" "Unusual Multimedia Frame : Area : T= 2082 B= 2503 L=-0022 R= 0552 File : H= 2919 W= 2079"

Not too sure what to do about the first three. The last is odd. I've tried countless times either revising the box area or unlinking the area completely. It still keeps on coming up.

Anyway the upshot is the Export plugin is still failing at SOUR 589. But my data is getting cleaner by the minute

Ron

[Greyflyer]

Hi Mike

As part of the data clean up I was going to, as you suggested, move some stray documents into D:\Users\Ron\Documents\Family Historian Projects\Stewart\Stewart.fh_data. This is where I keep all my files in separate folders as per Census Records, DC Records etc. However I just seen that some files are linked to a D:\Users\Ron\Documents\Family Historian Projects\Stewart\Stewart.fh_data\Media\ folder. On investigation this appears to mirror its parent folder in everyway. Doubling up on all the data records. A not inconsiderable amount of disc space. But which is correct? At no time have I ever knowingly put a media folder into the Stewart project. My other large tree does not have this effect.

Any idea on how this could happen and might it be having an effect on the Export issue? I also want to fix this, possibly by relinking the files. What is the easiest way? Search and replace in the gedcom file comes to mind. (After a suitable back up first of course )

Ron

[tatewise]

OK, we seem to be on the right track.

Show Project Statistics
Correcting errors is explained in the Plugin Help & Advice under FAQ.

"OPR MC 1811 moncrieff_simpson" "Unusual Multimedia Format : <nil> File type : tif"
"DC 1901 Robert Miller RCE" "Unusual Multimedia Format : <nil> File type : tif"
"Census 1861 James Stirton" "Unusual Multimedia Format : <nil> File type : tif"
"OPR MC 1820 Anderson_Christie" "Unusual Multimedia Frame : Area : T= 2082 B= 2503 L=-0022 R= 0552 File : H= 2919 W= 2079"

Double-click on the first three Media records on the left in turn to open their Property Box.
The Format: field will be empty and tiff should be selected from the drop-list.
The fourth Media record has a Frame Area that is -22 pixels to Left of image that needs fixing.

Project Media Folder
The Project's Media folder is created automatically, see how_to:v4:understanding_projects|> Understanding Projects.
It is important to hold all image files within the Project's Media folder or sub-folder:
D:\Users\Ron\Documents\Family Historian Projects\Stewart\Stewart.fh_data\Media\
This is checked by using Tools > External File Links and eliminating all paths involving drive letters leaving just Project Data Folder - Media, which are relative File links that survive Project migration from PC to PC, account to account, Documents folder to Dropbox folder, etc.

See how_to:changing_external_file_links|> Changing External File Links for advice on how to bulk move files and edit the links.

If you have duplicated Media records, because you have duplicated Media files, then use Edit > Merge/Compare Records and give preference to the File: links to the Media sub-folder. If this eliminates all File: links to files outside the Media folder then you can just delete those redundant image files.

Rogue Image for SOURce 589
SOURce Record Id 589 is linked to OBJEct Media Record Id 400 Titled MC 1877 William Anderson_Ann Jackson linked to file Media\MC Records\MC 1877 William Anderson_Ann Jackson.jpg.
Please send me that file by Email attachment so I can investigate its novel features!

BTW: Earlier the Export Gedcom File Plugin was failing at FAM 209 but now only SOUR failures are mentioned. What has changed?

BTW: Usually FH GEDCOM files have their records in Record Id order, but I notice that yours are an apparently random order. Do you (or any FHUG experts) have any explanation or a cure?

[Greyflyer]

Hi Mike

I've sent the file via e:mail.

But a breakthrough...
I had a flash of reasoning and re-downloaded the image from Scotland's People. Wonder of wonders the export now completes. So your reasoning was perfectly correct. But will we ever understand why that particular image screwed things up in such a spectacular fashion?

Once again thanks for all your help with this issue. I suppose I'd better get back to fixing all the other data now.

Thanks again

Ron